Friday's match with Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter will be the better of the two semifinals and has the potential to be best match of the tournament. Two great players, playing to get in the final. One is the premier serve-and-volleyer and the other is the premier baseliner and return of server in the game. Put those contrasting styles together, and it's just setting it up for a great match.

	Mal's Picks
	Washington Former ATP Tour pro MaliVai Washington is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis during Wimbledon. Washington, a tennis analyst for ESPN, reached the 1996 Wimbledon final.

The semifinals will come down to the player who handles the pressure the best and as a consequence what kind of tennis they put out on the court. The difference between the very good players and the great players and the greats among the greats is how they perform in the big situation.

Come Friday, it's going to be a big situation for all of these players. There's a 50 percent chance that someone who has never won a major will be in the final and a 75 percent chance that someone who has never won Wimbledon will reach the final and that's great to see.

For many years, no matter how good someone was playing, they had to get past Pete Sampras and couldn't do it -- except for Richard Krajicek in 1996. Now a lot of guys realize they have a chance to do it. I think Agassi feels that way. Rafter feels that way. Tim Henman definitely feels that way because he's been Sampras' pigeon there, and Goran Ivanisevic feels that way having lost to Sampras twice in the finals. All four realize they have a great opportunity here. They're thinking: "Pete's out! He's gone!"

Tim Heman (6), Great Britain vs. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia,
Henman is the only one in the semifinals to have gone the distance -- meaning five sets -- in the tournament. That means everyone is playing pretty darn good tennis. Henman was an early favorite, but he was expected to meet Pete Sampras, who's been his Achilles' heel -- taking him down before Henman even reached the finals. That obstacle is gone. Henman is up against a guy who hasn't had a good year and needed to a wild card to get in. On paper, Henman looks the best.

He's playing a confident Goran Ivanisevic, whose serve is huge. Ivanisevic has been here before. He knows what the pressure is like. He knows how to win a semifinal at Wimbledon.

Ivanisevic said if he won the championship that he'd be the happiest man on the planet. A lot of people have been thinking he is on his way out after a nice career. He's been able to revive his career with this one event. He's got to be thinking this is his last chance to win a major.

It will be really surprising if Ivanisevic makes the final. Henman has been in the semifinals of Wimbledon before -- two consecutive years in 1998-99. This is his time. If he's going to win a major, it will be Wimbledon. How great it would be for tennis and Great Britain for the local hero who has had the weight of the country riding on his back for years to win this semifinal match.
Edge: Henman

Patrick Rafter (3), Australia vs. Andre Agassi (2), United States
Rafter is destined to win Wimbledon. If he can win the U.S. Open in consecutive years, he can win Wimbledon even though Agassi is one of the premier returners and baseliners in the game.

Rafter is at the same point as 12 months ago when he was in the semifinal with a former champion -- Andre Agassi. The match against Agassi last year will go down as one of the greatest matches in the history of Wimbledon. Rafter is gong to have to play another one of those great matches to win. He's only lost two sets in the tournament. He's played some big servers and gotten past them. He got past a baseliner in straight sets in Thomas Enqvist. Agassi is not Enqvist, but Rafter has defeated some strong players.

Sometimes it's so difficult to pick why a guy should win. Agassi has a great shot at winning this match. I just feel that Rafter at this stage in his career should win Wimbledon. Agassi is at an age where he shouldn't win Grand Slams because he's 30-plus years old. In tennis years, he's beyond his best tennis even though he's not really showing it. Neither one of them have really struggled in this championship. Agassi has had so many great moments at majors in his career, but it's time for Patrick to step up and win a championship.
Edge: Rafter